Holidays, that luxury we all need

There is no doubt, the taste for travel has returned. It’s madness in passport offices and chaos in airports. Hotels, campsites and chalets are full. This effervescence of unequaled intensity, however, hides another reality: that of the less fortunate who do not have access to vacations… with the effects that this entails.

Marie-Eve Fournier
The Press

Holidays have always been a marker of social inequalities.

But this summer, the phenomenon is exacerbated. It is impossible to ignore the effects of inflation which is reaching heights not seen in 40 years. When all prices increase, the holiday budget is bound to suffer. Added to this are the consequences of the pandemic on the job market.

When COVID-19 entered our lives, it was mostly low-wage employees who lost their livelihoods. The statistics have shown it: the financial gap widened between the rich and the poor. Between men and women, too, since they were overrepresented in affected sectors such as hospitality, retail, restaurants, housekeeping and the arts.

These people “had to change jobs and start from scratch in the accumulation of vacations”, notes the researcher at the Institute for Socioeconomic Research and Information (IRIS) Julia Posca. Under Quebec standards, an employer is not forced to grant more than two weeks of paid vacation to its workers before their third year of seniority.

In this summer period marked by inflation, the less affluent who dream of getaways therefore suffer twice.

Even in normal times, “people in a precarious situation, who do alienating work without much recognition, are generally those whose working conditions include the minimum vacation”, wrote Eve-Lyne Couturier, researcher at IRIS, in a vacation study published in 2017.

This is why Julia Posca pleads in favor of a revision of labor standards. Consideration could be given, she suggests, to granting paid vacation time based on days worked in a year, regardless of the number of employers. This accounting exists in Belgium.

“It is important, the duration of the holidays, recalls the researcher. It takes several days before the effect of rest is felt. So two weeks is really minimal, but there are people who don’t even have access to that. We are not in an economy where access to holidays is obvious to everyone. »

Of course, the holidays do not have a monopoly on the representation of social inequalities. Food, choice of car, type of accommodation. Illustrations are everywhere.

But if you can live without eating filet mignon, without drinking champagne, without having an in-ground swimming pool and a boat at the marina, can you do without a vacation? Not really.

There are countless studies that have proven its benefits, both on mental health and on productivity and motivation at work. Holidays can reduce absenteeism, presenteeism, stress and the risk of overwork, observe the experts. In short, to guarantee the efficiency of workers, explained sociologist Jean Viard in an article by the National Center for Scientific Research of France (CNRS).

Summer or winter breaks also contribute to the development of bonds of trust, they enrich humans with new experiences and different social interactions, says Eve-Lyne Couturier. They reduce the fear of the unknown. And they turn out to be privileged moments for the affective, because ” we consolidate the family”, argues Jean Viard, at a time when couples spend little quality time together.

“It’s in everyone’s interest to keep people healthy. There are costs for businesses and for society as a whole. The lack of holidays puts pressure on the health system,” says Julia Posca.

Play without routine

Downtime is just as important for children, including those in daycare. We play it, it’s true, but in an “emotionally exhausting” context, reports François Couture, early childhood consultant at CASIOPE, a professional support organization for early childhood stakeholders. In a small and noisy space, toddlers have to deal with group life, strict routine, other people’s personalities, bites, arguments, tantrums.

Holidays – even those at home that cost nothing – are therefore essential to reduce the level of stress, anxiety and the risk of developing a mental illness, insists François Couture, early childhood consultant at CASIOPE.

It seems to go without saying. But more and more parents ignore it or are unaware of it. Unfortunately, they do not see the point of limiting the number of hours or weeks spent at the CPE or daycare.

“Over the years, I have the impression that it is becoming more generalized,” reports François Couture, who even speaks of a “trend”. Some educational work on the benefits of vacations must be done on an ongoing basis.

The idea is not to make parents feel guilty, especially not those who don’t even have a paid holiday themselves. Simply, the message on the importance of days in pajamas without a specific schedule, weekends that take children out of the routine because we sleep in a tent in the middle of the living room, must be heard.

In the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district of Montreal, the Fondation du D^r Julien is counting on his free day camp to allow more than a hundred young people who are experiencing “toxic stress” to escape. In every sense of the term. These children who never go far with their parents discover Oka beach, the Science Center and the St. Lawrence River. “It shows them that the horizon is wider than they thought,” says Fouade Bouajaj, psychosocial worker at the Foundation. These outings also “bring down the walls around the children” and give them confidence.

Like what, we are not forced to go very far to reap the benefits of vacation.

Always the plane, never the plane

Many families feel the pressure to plan exceptional trips to make the most of every day off. No question of staying in Balconville.

Photos of happy people on vacation on social networks accentuate this pressure, believes sociologist Gilles Pronovost, professor emeritus in the department of leisure, culture and tourism studies at UQTR.

That said, travel has become “a lot more democratized,” says the professor. The camping week, the seaside and the chalets are within the reach of a significant fraction of society, which has not always been the case. The same goes for staying in an all-inclusive in Cuba, which is “cheaper than a week in Quebec,” calculates Moscow Côté, president of the Association of Quebec Travel Agents.

However, inflation is everywhere this summer, forcing some households to review their plans. According to a Leger poll conducted at the end of May, 17% of Quebecers plan to cancel or change their vacation plans because of the price of gas. Some will go less far, others reduce the duration of their trip given the price of restaurants and accommodation.

As for the CAA, we note that the popularity of Quebec as a vacation destination is increasing, but why? Sanitary measures, desire to take advantage of the new chalet, enthusiasm for Quebec destinations in general and the outdoors in particular, a liter of gas above $2? Difficult to answer. One thing is certain, travel agencies are finding that their customers want to spoil themselves after two years of the pandemic, to the point where this is contributing to price increases, explains Moscow Côté.

While some Quebecers are taking advantage of the summer to spend their COVID savings, others don’t even think to complain about the fact that they will never fly.

Most people that M^me Le Blanc helps earn less than $40,000 a year. At best, they will visit relatives in another region.

Of course, Johanne Le Blanc recognizes that holidays are essential for reducing stress and replenishing energy. “But debt is not good for mental health. Going into even more debt stresses you out even more. We have to limit ourselves to what is within our reach and holidays are a luxury. It’s part of the fat. »

All is relative.

It is still heartbreaking to realize that even rest, seemingly free, is not within everyone’s reach.

Happy holidays (if you have any)!